Pages

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Christian devotions: Essentials - Daniel 3:17-18

Daniel 3:17-18“If we are thrown into the
blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will
rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know,
O king, we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set
up.”

Some people might have said they were
being disrespectful and disloyal to the king. Others could have condemned them
for being ornery and unfaithful. Whatever was said against them at the time,
the audacious faith that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego had in God was
undiminished and unswerving. And even when they faced a fiery execution, they
still did not turn away from the God of their people, not even if God failed to
deliver them.

That’s what made their faith so audacious.
No matter what happened to them, whether for better or for ill, they still held
on to their essential belief that there was only One God. No matter how many
threats were made against them or how hot the fiery furnace was raised, they
did not swerve from their devotion to the LORD. It must have been both
perplexing and infuriating to King Nebuchadnezzar. He wanted to save them – all
they had to do was bow down to a golden image – but they would not adhere to
the king’s commands. There was a Higher Power active in their lives and a
greater authority than that of the earthly king. The three men would not
surrender their faith in order to save their lives.

In these contentious times for the
Church, it can be very easy to let go of some essential beliefs in order to accommodate
everyone’s ideas and notions about God. However well intended, if we stray too
far from the truth, then we are in danger of losing our faith for the sake of
keeping up with the world. We could even end up with a belief system that is
not worth dying for, nor even living by.

Within each of ourselves, we have to
work out what is important to Christ and His Church. Perhaps we can do no
better than to practice a favorite saying of the 17th century English
Puritan Richard Baxter: “In Essentials Unity, In Non-Essentials
Liberty, In All Things Charity.” Now that would be a faith worth living
by and dying for.

Questions for personal reflection

What beliefs are
essential to my Christian faith? Do I live according to those essentials?

Prayer:Lord Jesus, grant us the gift of
spiritual discernment in order to truthfully know what is important to You,
Your Kingdom, and Your Church. Grant us an audacious faith that will not
compromise the essentials, but will also maintain a spirit of charity to those
with whom we disagree. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.